The questions below are based on a seminar presented January 21 by Gary
M. Ingersoll as part of the Kinsey Institute's Interdisciplinary
Seminar Series. Ingersoll is professor of counseling and educational
psychology and director of the Center for Adolescent Studies at Indiana
University Bloomington.

What relation did you find between precocious sexual activity
and behavioral risk factors?

In this study of 240 pre- and early adolescents, ages 11 to
13, more than 8% of the participants reported having had sexual intercourse
(13.3% of males and 4% of females). The study revealed that nonvirgin
youths were approximately

7.5 times more likely to smoke cigarettes,

10 times more likely to use alcohol,

46 times more likely to use marijuana, and

34.5 times more likely to use other drugs.

Nonvirgin youths were almost 6 times more likely to have planned to drop
out of school and 54 times more likely to have been suspended from school.
Less than 1% of the virgins had been suspended while 20% of the nonvirgins
had been suspended. Nonvirgins were almost 12 times more likely to have
attempted suicide. Nonvirgin participants were 3 times more likely to
report a history of physical abuse and 19 times more likely to report
a history of sexual abuse.

What conclusions do you draw from this data?

While this study does not demonstrate a causal relationship,
the data offer a compelling picture that precocious initiation of sexual
intercourse is part of a pattern of increased risky behaviors.